Ski pole ring



Sept. 29, 1964 H. HEAD 3,150,879

SKI POLE RING Filed June 22. 1962 'INVENTOR 170059120 flin ATTORNEYS United States Patent U 3,150,879 SKI POLE RING Howard Head, Cockeysville, Md, assignor to Head Ski (Company, Inc, Lutherville-Timonium, Md., :1 corporation of Delaware Filed June 22, 1962, Ser. No. 204,465 2 Claims. (Cl. Bil-11.37)

This invention relates to an improvement in ski pole rings.

More particularly, this invention relates to an improvement in ski pole rings which are provided with a molded rubber basket.

It is well known in the art that skiers frequently use ski poles to aid in balancing themselves on both straight runs and turning maneuvers. Such ski poles are provided with rings adjacent their lower tips, such rings usually employing a basket type construction which provides a bearing surface to keep the prong of the pole from projecting too deeply into the snow.

It has been found that when the basket is formed of molded rubber, and the same is mounted on a relatively slender shaft, say up to about 0.4 inch in diameter, there is a very marked tendency for the rubber to be severely abraded, and in some cases actually cut all the way through, as a result of even limited use of the ski pole on snow which has formed a hard crust.

Investigation has shown that in such cases, the sharp point of the ski pole easily pierces even relatively hard crust without shattering the latter, and that almost all of the total force of impact of the downward thrust of the pole on the snow is imparted to the central portion of the rubber basket.

As the crust is usually shattered by this impact, and thus develops a plurality of knife-like edges in the precise area where the rubber is exerting large forces on the snow, it will be seen that a ski pole ring having a central portion formed of rubber will soon be destroyed by the very element with which it is designed to work.

Moreover, this localization of the impact forces upon the central portion of the basket serves to increase the stresses upon the relatively fragile connection between the basket and the shaft of the pole.

It is within the contemplation of this invention to solve these problems by providing a metal shelf on the underside of the central portion of the rubber basket which serves to absorb the initial impact with the crust of the snow and thus protects the central portion of the rubber basket and its relatively fragile connection with the shaft.

It is the object of this invention to provide an improved ski pole ring to be fitted upon the prong of a conventional ski pole.

It is another object of this invention to provide a ski pole ring which includes radially extending members formed of rubber like material and further includes means to protect that material from cuts or abrasions at the point of the juncture of the radially extending members with the hub of the ring.

It is a final object of this invention to provide a ski pole ring which has the above listed attributes and yet can be manufactured at such a low cost as to make the same attractive to skier These and other objects of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of a typical preferred form and application of the invention, and the appended claims.

The invention may be best understood with reference to the following drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the ski pole ring; and

FIGURE 2 is a section taken along lines 2-2 of FIG- URE l, and further includes a showing, in phantom, of

3,159,879 Patented Sept. 29, 1964.-

the prong of a ski pole in fitting engagement with the ski pole ring.

Referring to FIGURE 2, there is shown, in phantom, the prong iii of a conventional ski pole. As is customary, the prong is slightly tapered in the body area 11 which is three inches, more or less, above the actual tip 12. of the prong. As will be made evident hereinafter, the ski pole ring is so dimensioned and constructed as to make a jam fit on this slightly tapered portion of the ski pole prong. This fit is obtained by the circumscribing fitting engagement of a centrally located metallic sleeve 21'! having a central bore or lumen which has its inner periphery formed with a taper which is complementary to that of the outer periphery of the body area 11 of prong iii.

In this preferred embodiment, the sleeve 20 is formed with a radially extending flange 22 at the lower end. As will be evident from the drawings, the sleeve is circumscribed by the hub portion 24 of a spider, generally indicated at 213, formed of rubberlike material-that is to say a material that is composed of natural rubber, or of synthetic rubber, or from other material which has the well known physical characteristics of such rubbers.

The spider 26 is composed of the aforementioned hub section 2 and by a plurality of coplanar arms 28 eX tending radially outward therefrom. In the preferred embodiment there are five such arms equiangularly spaced one from the other but it is within the contemplation of this invention that a smaller or greater number of such arms may be provided.

In any event, the spider also includes an annular portion 30 located at the outer extremities of the respective arms. As will be evident from the drawings, this annular portion 3t has an axis which is identical with the axis of sleeve 22 and of the spider hub portion 24.

In this preferred embodiment, the arms have a width which is considerably greater than their vertical dimension, or depth, so that they will provide the maximum amount of bearing surface consistent with the necessity for the presence of suflicient strength to resist ripping or tearing as a result of the applied forces created by the ring bearing against the surface of the snow.

The spider 26 is bonded to the external periphery of the sleeve 20 and to the upwardly facing surface of flange 22 by being vulcanized thereto. As is shown in FIGURE 2, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the sleeve 26 does not have a cylindrical external periphery, but rather is formed with a necked configuration. This configuration gives an increased area of bonding surface, and insures that at least some of that surface is disposed in a plane which is not parallel to the direction of the forces tending to shear the basket from the sleeve.

The annular portion 3% of the spider is circumscribed by, and vulcanized to, a metallic ring 32. As is best shown in FIGURE 2, this annular ring 32 is essentiaily rectangular in cross section with its outer corners being slightly rounded to avoid a sharp edge which might cut or scrape the skier when the same is in. use. As is also shown in that figure, in this preferred embodiment the annular portion 3% of the spider is semi-elliptical in cross section with the curved portion of that configuration constituting its inwardly facing periphery and with its flat surface constituting its outwardly facing periphery, which is, as has been explained, bonded to the ring 32.

As is also best shown in FIGURE 2, the metal ring 32 has essentially the same vertical dimension, or depth, as the spiders annular portion 30, and its arm portions 28, and its lower surface is substantially coplanar with the lower surfaces of those elements as well as with the lower surface of the radially outermost portions of the hub 24.

However, it is within the contemplation of this invention that the plane defined by these surfaces should be a substantial distance, and in this preferred embodiment'approximately A3", above the plane defined by the lower surface of flange 22.

As is .best shown in FIGURE 2, that part of the hub portion which circumscribes the sleeve 2i in the areas between the upwardly facing surfaces of the flange 2,2 and the undersurface of the remainder of the basket is formed with a gradual curve up to the latter. As a result of this arrangement it will be seen that when the prong 19 pierces the crust of hard snow, the metal flange 22 will shatter the crust and will serve to protect the inner parts of the hub portion from cuts or abrasions by preventing any substantial contact between the snow and the relatively fragile rubber until such time as the entire spider has reached a position to bear against the snow and thus assume the load being placed upon the pole by the skier.

After taking into consideration thestrengths of the crusts to be encountered, and the forces which are likely to be employed by the typical skier in the downward thrusts of the ski pole, it has been determined that the shelf formed by flange 22 must have an area of at least .25 square inch. With average sized ski poles, such an area can be obtained with a shelf having a radial dimension of from .25 inch to .5 inch.

1 have illustrated the sleeve as having an interior circular cross section, for fitting on a circular cross sectional prong. It should be understood, however, that in the event the prong has some other cross sectional configuration, the interior of the sleeve will have a congruent cross sectional configuration.

It should also be noted that While I have spoken of the sleeve as having a jam or wedge fit with the shaft, it is within the contemplation of this invention that any other means of attachment may be employed, the important thing being that the sleeve, and hence the basket as a whole, is fixed against movement axially of the shaft.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of the invention, it is not to be limited or restricted to specific details herein set forth, but, rather I wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications which may appear to those skilled in the art and falling within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A ski pole ring for wedge fitting engagement with the tapered body portion of the prong of a ski pole, said ski pole ring comprising; a metal sleeve having its lumen formed in a cross-sectional shape which is congruent with the cross-sectional shape of the ski pole prong, and with a first or top end slightly larger than its second or bottom end, the internal taper of said sleeve being such as to correspond with the taper of the body portion of the ski pole to which it is to be affixed; a flange extending radially outward from the bottom of said sleeve, said flange having a total area of not less than about onefourth of a square inch; a spider unitarily formed of rubber-like material, said spider having a central hub portion circumscribing said sleeve and bonded thereto, a plurality of arm portions extending a uniform distance radially outward from said hub portion and located in equiangular relationship one to the other, said arm portions being coplanar and located in a plane which is above the plane of the undersurface of the said flange,

and an annular portion located at the outer extremities of the said arms and extending circumferentially to join those outer extremities; said hub portion having portions extending downwardly to the upwardly facing surfaces of said flange, and being bonded thereto; a metal annulus having an internal diameter corresponding to the external diameter of said annular portion of said spider; said metal annulus being bonded to the outer periphery of said annular portion.

2. A ski pole ring for wedge fitting engagement with the tapered body portion of the prong of a ski pole, said ski pole ring comprising; a metal sleeve having a bore of circular cross-sectional configuration, and with a first or top end slightly larger than its second or bottom end, the internal taper of said sleeve being such as to correspond With the taper of the body portion of the ski pole to which it is to be afiixed; a flange extending radially outward from the bottom of said sleeve, said flange having a total area of not less than about one-fourth of a square inch; a spider unitarily formed of rubber-like material; said spider having a central hub portion circumscribing said sleeve and bonded thereto, a plurality of arm portions extending a uniform distance radially outward from said hub portion and located in equiangular relationship one to the other, said arm portions being coplanar and located in a plane which is above the plane of the undersurface of the said flange, and an annular portion located at the outer extremities of the said arms and extending circumferentially to join those outer extremities; said hub portion having portions extending downwardly to the upwardly facing surfaces of said flange, and being bonded thereto; a metal annulus having an internal diameter corresponding to the external di ameter of said annular portion of said spider; said metal annulus being bonded to the outer periphery of said annular portion.

France July 18, 1951 France Nov. 7, 1951 

1. A SKI POLE RING FOR WEDGE FITTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TAPERED BODY PORTION OF THE PRONG OF A SKI POLE, SAID SKI POLE RING COMPRISING; A METAL SLEEVE HAVING ITS LUMEN FORMED IN A CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE WHICH IS CONGRUENT WITH THE CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE OF THE SKI POLE PRONG, AND WITH A FIRST OR TOP END SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN ITS SECOND OR BOTTOM END, THE INTERNAL TAPER OF SAID SLEEVE BEING SUCH AS TO CORRESPOND WITH THE TAPER OF THE BODY PORTION OF THE SKI POLE TO WHICH IT IS TO BE AFFIXED; A FLANGE EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARD FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID SLEEVE, SAID FLANGE HAVING A TOTAL AREA OF NOT LESS THAN ABOUT ONEFOURTH OF A SQUARE INCH; A SPIDER UNITARILY FORMED OF RUBBER-LIKE MATERIAL, SAID SPIDER HAVING A CENTRAL HUB PORTION CIRCUMSCRIBING SAID SLEEVE AND BONDED THERETO, A PLURALITY OF ARM PORTIONS EXTENDING A UNIFORM DISTANCE RADIALLY OUTWARD FROM SAID HUB PORTION AND LOCATED IN EQUIANGULAR RELATIONSHIP ONE TO THE OTHER, SAID ARM PORTIONS BEING COPLANAR AND LOCATED IN A PLANE WHICH IS ABOVE THE PLANE OF THE UNDERSURFACE OF THE SAID FLANGE, AND AN ANNULAR PORTION LOCATED AT THE OUTER EXTREMITIES OF THE SAID ARMS AND EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY TO JOIN THOSE OUTER EXTREMITIES; SAID HUB PORTION HAVING PORTIONS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY TO THE UPWARDLY FACING SURFACES OF SAID FLANGE, AND BEING BONDED THERETO; A METAL ANNULUS HAVING AN INTERNAL DIAMETER CORRESPONDING TO THE EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID ANNULAR PORTION OF SAID SPIDER; SAID METAL ANNULUS BEING BONDED TO THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID ANNULAR PORTION. 